The present invention relates to a multidirectional switch employed typically in portable-communicating apparatuses including cellular phones and personal handy-phone systems (PHS), and it also relates to an apparatus using the multidirectional switch.
Recently, portable-communicating apparatuses such as cellular phones and PHSs have been increasingly demanded because of their conveniences, and at the same time, the market has required that the portability as well as usability of those apparatuses be improved. This market trend entails the apparatuses to employ multidirectional switches which a user rocks and depresses to manipulate the apparatus.
A conventional multidirectional switch is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. H11-120868. This conventional switch is described here with reference to FIG. 10, a cross sectional view of this switch.
In FIG. 10, case 1 shapes in a box having an opening in the upper face. On the inner bottom face of case 1, a plurality of fixed contacts 2 are disposed. Case 1 houses slider 3 in a sidable manner. Contacting unit 4, somewhat bent and of which both the ends being elastically in contact with the inner bottom of case 1, is mounted to the lower face of slider 3. The upper side of case 1 is covered by cover 5, above which operating unit 6 is mounted to case 1 such that operating unit 6 can be rocked and moved up and down with respect to the orthogonal direction to the rocking direction. Spring 7 is mounted between operating unit 6 and cover 5. Push switch 8 is placed under operating unit 6 at right-hand side. The conventional multidirectional switch is thus constructed.
In the construction discussed above, when operating unit 6 is rocked back and forth, slider 3 slides in case 1, so that fixed contacts 2 are electrically opened/closed via contacting unit 4. On the other hand, when operating unit 6 is depressed downward, the lower face thereof depresses push-button switch 8, thereby closing/opening switch 8.
The multidirectional switch discussed above is mounted to a portable communicating-apparatus such as a cellular phone or a PHS, and rocking operation of operating unit 6 moves and searches personal names or phone numbers listed in a screen of the apparatus. Then a depressing operation of operating unit 6 selects a name or a phone number out of the list before the user starts a phone call.
This conventional multidirectional switch is a thin type and yet gains a great stroke at an rocking operation. However, it includes a rocking switch which comprises (a) contacting unit 4 retained by slider 3 and (b) fixed contacts 2 disposed in case 1, and it also includes a depressing switch which comprises (c) operating unit 6 and (d) push-button switch 8. As such, since the conventional switch has many elements, it is difficult for this multidirectional switch to be downsized, and it requires much time to assemble.
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above and aims to provide an inexpensive, downsized and easy-to-assemble multidirectional switch, and an apparatus using this multidirectional switch.
The multidirectional switch of the present invention comprises the following elements:
(a) a case having a common contact and a plurality of fixed contacts;
(b) a contacting unit of which intermediate section is brought into contact with the common contact, and arms extending from the intermediate section having tips facing the fixed contacts at a given interval;
(c) a spring disposed on the contacting unit, and both the ends of a movable section at an intermediate section thereof being brought into contact with the tip of the arm, and a bowed section extending from the movable section being retained by the case;
(d) a cover for covering the case, and having a hole; and
(e) an operating unit having a depressing section and being mounted to either the case or the cover in a movable manner, and the depressing section being brought into contact with the ends of the movable section of the spring via the hole of the cover.
This structure allows a multidirectional switch to be assembled simply and inexpensively with less components, and downsized.